Matsubara White #1 Gyuto 240mm

For those of you that miss my old Richmond Addict this is the same blade profile with excellent steel and hand made by Mr. Tanaka of Matsubara. The most popular material used for Japanese knives is Yasuki Specialty Steel (YSS). Yasuki steel was developed by Hitachi Metal Ltd. from “Tatara”, an ancient Japanese method of manufacturing iron. There are several grades of these steels depending on the percentage of impurities and the composition of special metals. White Steel (YSS Shiro-gami, White-paper) is the purest type of carbon steel with very few impurities. Forging white steel is extremely difficult and requires highly skilled craftsmen to make the most of this alloy. There are white steel #1, #2 and #3 varieties. #1 is the hardest among the three. A knife made in this steel has an extremely sharp edge but can be brittle and prone to chipping.



Matsubara uses White steel #1 for the range of knives that includes this 240mm Gyuto. They hammer forge the blades in the traditional way. To reduce the fragility of the core steel they cover the blade in a softer carbon steel which imparts strength and lightness to the knife. The “blacksmith” kurouchi finish adds an additional layer of protection to the blade while enhancing it’s aesthetic appeal. The final touch comes in the form of some lovely hand engraved kanji characters.



At 240mm this knife sits right in the middle of popular gyuto lengths. It is a tall blade with a slightly thick spine. This adds to the rigidity and responsiveness of the knife while providing extra finger clearance. The grind is a symmetrical, double sided type with a very sharp out of the box edge. It comes attached to a simple D-shaped Ho wood handle with a black buffalo horn ferrule. **We do not have a saya that fits this knife.

Brand: Matsubara

Blacksmith: Tanaka San

Location: Nagasaki Japan

Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai

Cladding: Soft Iron

Weight: 6.8oz

Blade Length: 238mm

Total Length: 390mm

Spine Thickness at Base: 4.59mm

Blade Height: 51.15mm

Handle Type: Octagonal Rosewood

Please note, Mr. Tanaka puts a notch in the tang and this is done on purpose and is not an installation mistake.